A US drone strike in Baghdad killed a senior militia leader on Thursday, marking another significant escalation that could lead to a full-blown regional war.
The strike killed Mushtaq Talib al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, a deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) operations in Baghdad. The PMF is a coalition of mostly Shia Iraqi militias that are part of the government’s security forces.
At least one other militia member was killed in the strike, which targeted a PMF base in Baghdad. Later on Thursday, the Pentagon confirmed it was responsible for the bombing.
The Pentagon claims Abu Taqwa was believed to be responsible for attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria that started in October in response to US support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, but the US has not provided any evidence for the assertion.
The drone strike has enraged the Iraqi government, which condemned it as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and security of Iraq” and said it was “no different from a terrorist act.”
The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in Iraq since October, all of which have been strongly condemned by the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the US’s supposed partner in the country.
Al-Sudani’s government has also condemned the attacks on US bases in Iraq but wants to work to find the perpetrators and strongly opposes the unilateral US airstrikes and extra-judicial killings.
Al-Sudani said last week that his government was “heading towards” ending the presence of foreign forces in Iraq, which includes 2,500 US troops. Iraq’s parliament voted to expel US troops back in 2020 following the US drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, but the US has refused to leave.
No mention of “collateral damage”, ie, innocents that happened to bein the same building. Time for Iraq to mean business and throw us out of there. Come November, 2024 Biden will be gone.
Disagree with last sentence. America will never have a fair election again, after 2020. It’s no longer a constitutional Republic.
If they even hold an election, don’t be surprised if the Obama gang & their scum foot soldiers rig it for Biden again in 2024 and then he steps down in 2025, with regime propagandists declaring the evil crook as an ‘historic President’.
That’s how bad things are in America.
America hasn’t had a fair election since the 1880s (when the uniparty seized control of “ballot access”), if then.
Please elaborate.
he doesn’t need to elaborate.
the son of bitch is way smarter than all the rest of us put together.
what
Yes, we can see just how smart he & his crew are in Ukraine as the Ukies whop the feeble Russians on their path to an all woman fighting force as the men are dead or fled
i have not ever seen any instance of Knapp choosing Ukraine over Russia or vice-versa.
Knapp will see this before anybody else does and maybe he will choose one side or the other. but i am not going to hold my breath.
So far as I know, I have no crew in Ukraine. Nor do I care much which gang of thugs “wins the war.” My sympathies are with the noncombatants that both sides cheerfully murder in pursuit of the ability to treat them as livestock.
Until the 1880s, you voted by hand-writing your ballot, using a ballot pre-printed and given to you by your party of choice, or orally dictating your ballot to a poll worker in the presence of a witness if you couldn’t write.
Then US states started adopting the “Australian ballot,” printed by the government, giving the Republican/Democratic uniparty the ability to largely exclude third party and independent candidates, and force those who weren’t excluded to spend most of their money just getting their names on the ballot, so as to rig elections in favor of uniparty candidates.
While they might not have ever been “fair” the unfairness was rarely decisive in the outcome, if ever, until recently.
The dichotomy between the Electoral College and the popular vote will become the rule rather than the exception.
Of the five US presidents who lost the “national popular vote,” three of them were in the 19th century.
And the last two were within a 20 year period. I’m betting the next election will shake out the same way.
Nah, it isn’t that bad, not yet, besides every country needs a little revolution, now and then….
i like your flower
Occasionally watered with the blood of tyrants, no doubt.
no man she is a hippie.
i would like to believe that there are no tyrants involved with her.
Thanks very much SPY!
no man she is a hippie
So were the Manson Family…
Donna is a Punk Rocker!
Get money out of politics, and we have a more “fair” election. As it stands now, big donors win the presidency, and it’s been that way long before Trump came on the scene. For a candidate to even get on a ballot, they need enough money. As well, if you are not registered with the D and R parties, you can’t vote in a primary election (at least in my state).
In 2020, the democrats rigged the election against Bernie Sanders, who despite what people think of him now, many in that party wanted as president, rather than Clinton. Instead, the democrats ran Hillary instead of the more popular Bernie and focused on Trump so that he actually won. I don’t understand why people think Trump is much of an outlier because he put a lot of the “swamp” into his cabinet. Goldman Sachs, Exxon executives and people like John Bolton and Pompeo .
Get money out of politics
Money is overrated as a determining factor in politics… I’ve seen more than a few cocky candidates plummeting to earth after flying through millions of $$$ without effect.
Remember Phil “I have the mothers milk of politics – money” Graham?..
Remember Steve Forbes?..
Remember Mike Bloomberg?
All still crying in their beer.
No candidate gets close to the white house or the Senate without money and/or powerful connections of some sort.
“I’ve seen more than a few cocky candidates plummeting to earth after flying through millions of $$$ without effect.”
True. But I’m pretty sure they lost to candidates with big bucks of their own.
In the case of Graham, who flew threw 9 million $ with nothing to show for it, he was completely humiliated by Pat Buchanan who barely had a million $ at any one time, which only goes to show that having class is better than having cash.
And who won the election that year? Can you tell me when we last elected a third party candidate? If you have an “R” or “D” next to your name, the money comes to you.
I certainly agree with reforming money in politics. IMHO, money is NOT free speech, and free speech is not a protected right for corporations, labor unions, lobbyists, or any other artificial persons anyway. I think it ironic that the Roberts Court struck down election financing reforms that were supported by both Democrats and Republicans (Citizens United decision, McCain/Feingold Act.)
“It has become more and more obvious that there is one political party in America, and that is The Business Party.”
— Bill Hicks
The Citizen’s United decision may have driven the nail into the coffin of what was once a democratic Republic.
Gotta love the Pompeo guy with his “We Lie, Cheat&Steal” rap, but the worst goez unspoken!!! More like murder, rape & torture. What a honest guy:??? NOT!!!
So remember if you vote for Trump you may be lied to, cheated & have his crew steal from you .
Well,
“It has become more and more obvious that there is one political party in America, and that is The Business Party.”
— Bill Hicks
Or the War Party. Same thing though.
Unless Trump wins in 2024. Them elections will be proper again. Am I right?
maybe you are high. oh shit, you actually said “them”
OMG man you almost got me.
Nonsense, the SC picked W. Bush to be president. Rigging elections is part of the game.
“”Come November, 2024 Biden will be gone””
careful what you wish for
It can’t get worse, the neocons are in charge. They will just put another joker in the oval office, maybe a brown woman for a change?
But nothing will change, look at the trash standing in the wings wanting to replace him. The corporate political elite will just find a better looking piece of trash.
The US officials are claiming the people they targeted were believed to be responsible for attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria that started in October in response to US support for Israel’s onslaught in Gaza. But the US officials have provided no evidence for the assertion.
Yes, proving that “assertion” is the important part of this scenario. Being on the other side of the world in countries you are not welcomed apparently doesn’t factor in.
What a brilliant strategy! i.e. “let’s piss them off some more and hope they leave us alone”
dafuq man, does anyone pay attention anymore or is everyone all ostrich’d up waiting for something to happen?
The stupidity of this US ‘administration’ defies belief. The arrogance to think that it’s the 1990s and that the US can murder people in distant countries without consequences down the line, is truly astonishing.
Another imbecilic move by the Biden regime.
Not only is it stupid but being judge, jury, and executioner is illegal according to Section I of the 14th amendment of the US constitution.
how much does a drone cost?
oh shit a regular drone cost $26.00
wait, what?
how dare you.
at some point I am going to kill a whole bunch of dudes.
oops here is the actual cost of a military drone =
How Much Does a Military Drone Cost? Depending on its sophistication and size, the financial outlay for a military drone can vary significantly, ranging from a relatively modest $700,000 to an imposing $25 million, demonstrating a stark contrast to the staggering expense of manned aircraft, which can exceed $70 million.
oh for God’s sake “relatively modest”
damnit don’t make me say it …..
what
Biden and his neocon cabal are determent to start a war in the ME.
Biden will not get a second term, he is more likely to become the funeral director of the American empire.
As of now, he is in charge of an insane asylum. No person with common sense and honor can be seen, just inmates dancing on the tables.
Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Libya…
The Best Way To Avert WAR is by Utilizing PEACE.
But it takes two to dance.
Our terrorists in government are legal, they are Americans and they do no wrong. They do wear normal military uniforms, that makes it legal.